


Of Mother & Daughter

by DalishFirefly (Regina_Lupus)



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Custom Hawke, F/M, Family Fluff, Fenhawke Baby - Freeform, Fluff, Mild Angst, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 19:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12754776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Regina_Lupus/pseuds/DalishFirefly
Summary: She’d faced darkspawn, demons, abominations, an ancient magister with a pet archdemon, yet the most terrifying thing on her mind was facing this little person, this part of her that she had borne within herself and nurtured, fought for harder than she’d ever fought before.





	Of Mother & Daughter

**Author's Note:**

> Ever have a plot bunny scurry on by and you just have to write it? That’s where this came from! xD Basically, my Hawke Lesley and Ferris had a baby after leaving Kirkwall. Not so much a planned one, but these things happen. Through a series of Red Jenny favors, baby was moved to Kirkwall and placed in Hawke’s cousin’s care. Preface over! Enjoy the fluff!
> 
> Oh, and I refer to my Hawke consistently by her first name because it just felt more personally and therefore more appropriate.

It had been, what? Four years since she’d seen her daughter, held her and watched over her as she slept. The little thing had nearly died far too many times after her birth. Lesley counted it a miracle that she was still alive, safely tucked away under the watchful eye of her cousin. Had Bethany the ability, Lesley knew she would have been more than happy to watch the now toddler for her, but sadly that chance did not offer itself up.

Now she was getting the chance to see her daughter again. Would she even recognize her?

A hand rested on her back, urging gently but also supporting her. She hadn’t even realized she had stopped moving. She tensed, resisted the gentle push, before continuing on with heavy steps. It was still too early for much hustle and bustle, and they stuck as much to the shadows as possible.

When Gamlen’s house was in sight, she was suddenly gripped by fear stronger than she believed she’d ever experienced. She’d faced darkspawn, demons, abominations, an ancient magister with a pet archdemon, yet the most terrifying thing on her mind was facing this little person, this part of her that she had borne within herself and nurtured, fought for harder than she’d ever fought before.

She froze again at the top of the stairs, starring at the door like it was going to eat her. She barely registered that she was trembling.

“Amatus.” The word was drawn out, coaxing, or trying to be.

“I can’t do this,” she said softly.

“Why not?”

“It’s been four years,” she nearly hissed, looking toward Fenris for the first time since they‘d left the estate. Her mind had been on one track since then. “I spent little more than a fortnight with her. You can’t expect her to remember me. Or you...”

Fenris shrugged. “Maybe she won’t, but you’ve told me your cousin speaks of you often. Even if she doesn’t recognize you, she will know you. She is still your... our daughter. I know you want to know her, and so do I.”

Lesley locked eyes with him, seemingly weighing his words. After a moment, she nodded and looked away. She closed her eyes on deep intake of breath, steeling herself on the exhale and heading toward the house.

The door opened after only a few short knocks, revealing a very disgruntled looking Gamlen. Regardless of his obvious annoyance at his house once again being overrun, he greeted them both warmly enough.

“Don’t know why they couldn’t stay at the estate,” he grumbled once the door was closed.

“I offered,” Lesley said quietly. “Charade declined.”

He grunted and left the room, assumedly to fetch his daughter. Lesley felt some of the steel leaving her. She shuffled her feet.

Fenris’s hand rested on her lower back. He patted the area gently, trying to ground her and ease her at the same time. It was reassuring, made her remember that she was not alone in facing this familiar stranger.

Charade appeared in the doorway, her hand clasped by the little one hiding behind her leg. She smiled at the pair, stepping into the main room of the house and urging the little girl behind her along gently.

Lesley’s breath caught in her throat when she saw her daughter again. Her skin was a few shades lighter than Fenris’s, hair black and wavy like her own but her eyes were undoubtedly her father’s. They shown with curiosity and wariness. She looked at the unfamiliar pair like she wanted to investigate but was afraid of something.

Lesley blinked tears away, dropping down to her knees and not looking away from the toddler. Everything she had felt when first holding the child came back in an overwhelming rush. The instantaneous, irrevocable love, the vicious urge to protect, the need to nurture and care for the little miracle that had once been apart of her so completely. It all came back.

“That’s your mother,” she vaguely heard Charade say when Leah looked up at her caretaker curiously. The toddler looked back at her then, stepping away slightly.

Charade gently released her hand and urged her forward. Leah’s steps were slow, tentative, but her eyes were focused, intent. She reached out when she was close enough, and Lesley reached up to take the little hand in her own.

“Momma?” She asked softly, sounding almost... hopeful.

Lesley smiled, tears running down her cheeks, completely unchecked. Her voice was shaky, softer than soft when she spoke, but full of emotions she couldn’t express, “Yes, little one. I’m so sorry I was gone so long. I’m so sorry I missed so much.”

She surged forward then, throwing her tiny arms around Lesley’s neck. Lesley was quick to react, her own arms tightening around the tiny body and pulling her close to her chest. She buried her head against her daughter’s shoulder, stood up and leaning back against the wall behind her. Leah clung to her like she truly remembered who she was, like the time meant nothing. It almost didn’t seem real.

Lesley knew she was sobbing, whimpering and mumbling incoherently. It didn’t seem to matter, at any rate. Leah wasn’t in much better shape. She felt a weight press against her side, an arm around her waist. She looked over the same time Leah did.

“Leah,” she said softly to catch the girl’s attention, “this is you father.”

She cocked her head, looking bemused and overwhelmed. Unable to stop herself, Lesley leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her daughter’s cheek. It seemed to reassure her. She unwound one arm from her mother’s neck and reached out to gently touch Fenris’s cheek. He tensed slightly for a moment, but relaxed quickly and reached up to gently touch the back of a tiny hand with tips of his fingers.

Lesley smiled, nuzzling her daughters hair and closing her eyes. There were still adjustments that would need to be made. It would take time for things to settle down, but she didn’t care. She had her daughter, her lover: her family. It was more than she could ask for.


End file.
